Jaindl unveils plans for major new road, trail along Lehigh River

Unused railroad tracks along the west side of the Lehigh River could one day become a two-lane road with a parallel walking and biking trail, under a plan from the developers behind The Waterfront in Allentown.

The project would serve two purposes — creating an alternative to Seventh Street and Fullerton Avenue for north-south traffic in Allentown and Whitehall Township and eliminating the only gap in the 165-mile Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Trail. The trail runs from Mountain Top, Luzerne County, south to Bristol, Bucks County.

Developer Mark Jaindl unveiled the idea Monday to officials from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the state Department of Transportation during a Lehigh Valley Transportation Study meeting.

The meeting was a chance for municipal officials to pitch improvement projects in hopes of tapping into federal and state funds that will be available through the study's updated long-range transportation plan.

The Jaindl proposal would involve Allentown and Whitehall Township joining to create Riverside Drive, a 3.25-mile two-lane thoroughfare that would run from Race Street in the township south to Union Street in Allentown.

The parallel trail — an 8-foot- to 10-foot-wide path called the Waterfront Connector — would begin at Pine Street in the township and continue south to Hamilton Street in the city, on the east side of the new road.

In addition to completing the D&L Trail, it would also become part of the 9/11 memorial trail that is planned to run from the World Trade Center site in New York City to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville.

Jaindl said his company has an agreement to buy the railroad tracks, which run along a right of way that is 70 feet wide on average. Settlement is expected within six months.

The road would improve access to The Waterfront, a $325 million development of office buildings, shops, restaurants, upscale apartments and pedestrian riverwalk under development by Jaindl Properties. The other principals in the project are the Dunn Twiggar Company, LLC and the Michael Dunn Company.

Allentown and Whitehall both included the Riverside Drive plan in their pitches Monday, among millions of dollars in other projects.

Mark Jaindl's son and business partner, Zachary Jaindl, who is overseeing the Waterfront project, said a news conference with more details on the plan is scheduled for Tuesday morning, when maps and artists' renderings will be available.

Other pitches at the meeting ranged from Tatamy's modest request to repave its Main Street ($200,000) to far pricier bridge replacements and road reconfigurations sought by other municipalities.

Bethlehem Township, for example, wants about $600,000 to replace a crumbling 1930s bridge over Nancy Run and another $45,000 for a traffic study of congestion-prone Easton Avenue in the Butztown section. Wilson is seeking about $4 million for street improvements that Greg Drake, the public works director, said the borough desperately needs but can't afford.

Beyond Riverside Drive, Allentown wants millions more for improvements to American Parkway, which will become the major artery connecting the east and west sides of the city when the American Parkway bridge is completed.

In all, Lehigh Valley cities, townships and boroughs made more than 80 requests totaling nearly $412 million during Monday's meeting and a previous meeting on Jan. 26.

All will be included in the transportation study's report, which is expected to be completed in June, but that doesn't guarantee funding. Projects will be prioritized based on a number of factors, such as safety and alleviation of congestion.

But even if a project isn't funded, it helps determine the approach to transportation needs in the Valley, said Becky A. Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

"The need is documented," she said. "You tell us what you've got, and we find out what the unmet needs are."

The agency will also help municipalities who don't get money find alternative funding sources, Bradley said.